Hope Abandon
by The blackdash
Summary: The origin of his daemon and who he truly was were two things Ciel Phantomhive never tried to bother with. He always believed Sebastian would never leave his side. Then, he suddenly left, leaving Ciel with nothing.
1. Prologue

Hello everyone! The blackdash here with a new story for you. I've spent a lot of time researching about this and I can honestly say that this story is my baby. Thank you to my dear betareader Calipsancat for being patient with me and for helping me with this story. And despite the great distance(literally oceans and continents apart) and time(we have a about 12 hour time difference), she and I have become acquainted and now we're penpals... or type-pals. Haha! Oh by the way, she's a wonderful writer as well. I am in love with her writing style and with how she portrays her characters! Do try to read her WillXGrell fanfic "Red: The Blood of Angry Men"! It NEEDS more love and reviews! ^_^

But enough with this pointless rant, I would like to humbly present to everyone my newest story.

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><p><strong>Hope Abandon<strong>

_Prologue_

"Welcome, Master Asmodeus," a deep voice greeted.

A cloaked figure slowly turned to the owner of the voice, and was met with the sight of a middle-aged man with short brown hair and brown eyes framed by oval lenses. "Ah, Baalberith. I see you have come to welcome me. Tell me, who has arrived already for the meeting?" the cloaked figure's voice was melodic, almost as if the being was singing.

"Master Mammon arrived before yourself," the being called Baalberith said as he took one step closer to Asmodeus.

The smaller figure pulled down the hood and revealed a youthful face. He had dark smoldering eyes and long straight black hair that hung past his shoulders. Though male, he had full red lips and high cheekbones which gave him an androgynous quality to his beauty. Baalberith quickly took off Asmodeus' cloak and hung it on the cloak stand.

"I see. Who arrived first?" Asmodeus asked, turning his head to see if he could catch a glimpse of the others.

Baalberith began to walk towards the ends of the hallway, "I believe it was Mistress Leviathan."

"Oh that Leviathan, always trying to gain favors from him," scoffed the dark-eyed youth. Nonetheless, he calmly followed the taller figure. "Who else is present?"

"Master Beelzebub and I believe that by this time, Master Mammon has finally arrived in the Council Room. They are currently chatting, waiting for the others to arrive," he explained as he turned a corner.

Asmodeus hummed in response and quietly followed Baalberith. They walked towards another grand-looking hallway and the black-haired youth took a glimpse outside the window.

"Oh my, isn't that that woman in England who killed her daughter, her husband and her lover?"

Baalberith turned his sights outside and saw one figure lying completely nude on the dirt ground. The only clear indication of it being female was how her long hair was splayed on the ground. Her body was covered with dust, mud, bile and blood; her bowels were ripped from her body and were lying a few feet away as if they were ripped and then thrown. Her limbs were bent grotesquely and were still twitching from the immense pain. Her body was slashed and torn and yet it seemed as if she was still very much alive. Her head lulled from side to side, her eyes were wide as if in disbelief, her mouth was agape as if she was trying to call out but instead seemed as if she was choking on her own blood and bile which flowed from her mouth.

"Yes, it is. I believe her name is Mary Ann Britland," he confirmed.

"My, isn't she new here? Wasn't she just hanged from the gallows?" asked Asmodeus whilst still keeping his eyes on the body that lay disturbingly on the dirt ground outside.

"The new ones are always stubborn at first," Baalberith said, turning his gaze away from the window. "However, one needn't worry. They shall all eventually follow the way things are done here."

The youth nodded and the two of them continued to walk silently, passing through grand rooms inside the castle and walking by rows and rows of doors until they had arrived before a large doorway. The taller of the two took the handle and held open the door for the smaller to enter into the room. Asmodeus immediately spotted the single circular table that was settled at the very center of the equally luxurious and extravagant room. Seven chairs surrounded the large table and one particularly extravagant chair, decorated with rare jewels, well-polished wood and carved with intricate patterns, stood at the very center of the round table. Three figures were already sitting, chatting idly away. The youth drew near the three and sat on his chair.

"Ah, Asmodeus!" the woman sitting to the right of the grandest chair exclaimed. "I see that you have finally arrived. And just right before the Council begins," she said with a disapproving look. The woman had wavy brown locks that hung just past her shoulders. She had piercing bluish-green eyes that seemed to condescend.

"Yes, Leviathan. I heard that you were first to arrive, again," replied Asmodeus nonchalantly as he took a seat opposite.

Her thin lips drew tight, "Punctuality is a most desired trait of a woman. She must be act in a refined manner and must arrive early. Unlike someone who is as unrefined as Belphegor who barely arrives on time for our council," she said bitterly with a click of disapproval.

"Who is unrefined?" a husky feminine voice asked all of a sudden. The four figures that were sitting turned their heads to the source of the voice. By the door stood a tall woman, her hands on her waist and her dark brown eyes glaring.

"I see that you have finally graced us with your presence, Belphegor," Leviathan stated indignantly.

The tall woman drew towards the table slowly, her long dark hair moving along with every sway of her hips. She had an air of the exotic in her beauty. She reached the table and walked towards the chair that stood to the left of the most luxurious one.

"I assure you, Leviathan, that though it is in my nature to not arrive as early as you do, I always make sure that I am in time for the sake of the council," said Belphegor , glaring openly at Leviathan as she sat.

Leviathan glared back at Belphegor angrily and was about to say something until Mammon suddenly stood up. "Now see this!" He roared as he slammed both of his hands on the table. "The council is about to start and we should not be bickering already lest we wish to anger his highness," warned the tall male. His steel gray eyes looked at the two females, cautioning them.

Belphegor looked at the blonde male and then seriously looked at brown-haired woman. "Mammon is right. The Council takes precedence over all other matters," she stated seriously.

Leviathan still glared, "…Fine," she huffed.

Asmodeus casually stared at the two females and smirked, "My, women are so haughty and crude nowadays. Not at all gentle like in the past," he observed.

"Shut your mouth, Asmodeus! You, yourself, are not so different from us," Belphegor snapped, glaring angrily at the dark-haired youth.

Asmodeus merely waved his hand lazily, "While I admit that I am indeed not so different from your kind, I am also not quite unlike males. I am more even-tempered. Unlike some who snap out at the littlest and most pretentious things," the youth drawled. Leviathan fumed but stayed silent nonetheless.

The male who had stayed silent for most of the conversation looked about the table. "Isn't it unusual? Lucifer has not arrived yet," said Beelzebub. His round green eyes which were framed by his copper hair flitted to and fro between the chairs and the door.

Mammon looked towards the door, "You are quite right Beelzebub. It is very unlike Lucifer to have not yet arrived by this time,"

Suddenly, the large doors opened with a thundering bang and those within the room grew silent. The sound of boots snapping loudly against marble drew near the table and the air within the room grew tense. Those seated around the table visibly stiffened. The being grew closer and everyone stood and turned to the man that stood silently before the round table. He appeared to be around his 30's, with flaming red hair that curled slightly and was just past his ears. He towered over them all, adding to the authoritative and almost menacing aura that surrounded him. His most noticeable trait was his eyes, golden in color but seemingly they seem ablaze with flames making them appear as if they were shimmering. Those very golden eyes flitted amongst those seated the table as he casually walked over to the center chair.

Everyone stood and bowed before the being "It is good to see that you are well, Your Highness," they greeted in chorus, voices hushed.

The authoritative male's short beard twitched; perhaps he was frowning from beneath his beard. In his low but booming voice he voiced out his observation "I see that one of you is still missing."

The others looked to the empty chair that stood next to the grandest throne. The members glanced at each other anxiously, quite unsure of what to explanation to make for his highness. As they were about to answer, everyone heard the door creak open. They all turned their heads to the door and saw a beautiful young man. Tall and lean in physique with platinum blonde hair going past his shoulders and silvery eyes that seemed to sparkle, his lips were turned slightly into a unhappy frown. He took one step forward and walked towards the empty chair, seemingly floating whilst doing so. Only upon reaching the side of the authoritative male with golden eyes did he incline his head in a manner of submission.

"I apologize for my tardiness," he whispered. His voice was like silk, smooth and velvety.

The red haired male's gaze hardened. "I see that you have finally graced us with your presence," he said as he turned his eyes to the kneeling blonde. "To what do we owe the pleasure," he drawled sarcastically.

The platinum blonde did not dare meet his eyes. "There were urgent matters that were in need of attending to," he explained in a low voice.

"Matters that were of greater importance than the Council?" scoffed the golden-eyed male incredulously.

"I sincerely apologize, Your Highness," said the male with silver eyes, bowing a little lower than before to emphasize his sincerity.

The red-haired male's golden eyes flashed with rage. "You best tread lightly for I am not one who normally practices patience. You are the only exception for you have been with me for the longest amongst the members. If it were any other from within this council, I would have already given them the punishment they deserve." The authoritative male barked and threatened. "Heed my warning, Lucifer," he whispered dangerously.

"I assure you, it shall never happen again… Lord Satan," guaranteed Lucifer in a much stronger voice.

The daemon growled before tearing his gaze from the kneeling male. "Let us not delay the meeting any further. Let us begin," said the man with finality and sat upon his throne. The others followed suit and the silver-eyed male finally raised his head and sat on the empty chair beside the throne. Once seated, the sound of the door opened and came in Baalberith carrying with him several folders. He quickly walked towards the round table and stood promptly behind the authoritative male.

"What is the main problem of each kingdom?" asked Satan, his voice booming and echoing in the large room.

Baalberith quickly came forward and handed the man sitting on the extravagant seat a folder "The most posing problem right now is overpopulation as seen in the progress report that I have prepared beforehand," he said and distributed the folders to the rest of the seated members. All the members opened the folders and quickly read the reports. "We are to discuss the source of the problem and the most convenient solution."

"Hm… I don't think it is a matter of overpopulation that is the problem here," said Mammon as he turned a page of the report.

"I agree. The increase in number of corrupted souls is a very good advancement on our parts," agreed Belphegor.

"Indeed, no doubt this is due to the sudden advancement of the human intellect," said Leviathan. "What do they call that subject again?" she asked as she looked amongst the members.

"I believe that the humans call it science," uttered Beelzebub as he placed down the folder. "But enough of this small talk, we should be discussing the dilemma at hand" he said and looked expectantly at everyone.

"I don't believe that the overpopulation is the problem that our kingdoms are facing right now but perhaps it is the rate in which they are arriving," Lucifer had remarked.

Everyone looked at Lucifer, intrigued, "Do further elaborate for us, Lucifer," Satan urged whilst looking at him.

Lucifer closed and placed the folder down, "I believe that the problem is that there are too many souls arriving at once. We won't be able to give them their proper sentence immediately," he said calmly, lacing his fingers together.

"Then what solution would you propose?" Asmodeus questioned while raising his brow skeptically.

"It is simple, really. All we need to do is increase the number of contracts," the silver-eyed daemon stated simply.

"Increase the number of contracts?" Beelzebub asked incredulously, "How would that solve the rate at which the corrupted souls are arriving?"

Lucifer slowly turned his head towards the short-statured man, "It would help us greatly. Now we all know that the reason we created the Contract is in order for daemons to feed on the live corrupted souls and replenish energy and possibly give us more power-"

"Yes! Yes!" snapped Leviathan. "And the contract must be established on earth for it to become valid. I believe that everyone within this room knows that much."

The silver-eyed male looked at Leviathan coldly, "I was not finished with my explanation. Now, if you would stay quiet so I can finally finish proving my point," he said slowly and threateningly before turning once again to the council. "Now, we all know that once the contract is created, the soul would wholly belong to the daemon for feeding. Of course, just because the contract was created does not necessarily mean that the daemon who established the contract is obliged to fulfill all the terms of the contract. I believe that we could use this loophole as an advantage," he elaborated. Everyone grew quiet, thinking of what was proposed.

"Send out more vassals onto earth in order for them to feed and gain power through the contract as well as control the rate of corrupted souls entering into our Kingdoms," muttered Satan thoughtfully as he rubbed his mustache. Everyone considered the plan, humming and nodding in approval.

"But wait!" Beelzebub interjected, every member turned their eyes towards him. "If we were to send out our vassals to establish contracts with live corrupted souls but without fulfilling all the conditions of the contract, would that not mean that the soul is not at its peak maturity? Would it not be better if we let the soul mature first before feeding? I doubt that our vassals would be satisfied with an immature soul."

"Yes," Lucifer answered coolly. "However, the point of the plan that I have proposed is not to nourish our vassals with mature souls. It is to control the rate at which the souls are coming into our kingdoms. Feeding is merely a plus for solving this problem. However, I believe that if our vassals can collect enough souls to feed from, the maturity of the soul would not matter."

"However, is it not quite risky to send out our vassals to collect these souls?" asked Belphegor before daintily raising her hand upon her forehead. "What ever shall I do without them within my domain? Who would serve me and who would guard the souls within my kingdom?"

"I am not saying that this is a permanent plan. It is only up until the rate of souls arriving has slowed down enough for us to receive all of the corrupted souls and give them their suitable sentences." The silver-eyed male glanced towards Satan. "Once that happens, we will summon back our vassals into our kingdoms and they can resume whatever work they had previously."

"Wait! There might be another problem to this solution that you have proposed, Lucifer," Mammon suddenly interjected.

Lucifer turned to look at the male with golden locks, "And what might that be?"

"What of the Reapers? I highly doubt that they would merely stand aside and let us collect a massive amount of souls through contracts. They have constantly guarded and continuously tried to protect the souls with which our kind has established contracts from long ago. No doubt that they will plan some course of action in order to stop these contracts from being created," Mammon said in a serious tone and the members of the council grew quiet.

"Might I suggest then that we send out our strongest and most trusted vassals? I believe that they are quite capable enough of protecting themselves and their contracts." Lucifer answered back coolly.

"An adequate solution," Satan commented. "However, are we all willing to risk a little by sending our strongest vassals?"

Everyone grew silent and weighed the plan in their minds, all the pros and cons of the solution that Lucifer had proposed. Each member looked thoughtful and glanced amongst each other. Members whispered quietly to others of their ideas and thoughts about the situation. Suddenly, Lucifer spoke up.

"If it is of any comfort to my fellow members, I would gladly send my most trusted and strongest vassal, Belial, onto the world first," proposed Lucifer smoothly. The council looked a bit more at ease at the thought that Lucifer's strongest would be the first to arrive.

"Then, are we in agreement of putting forth Lucifer's proposal?" asked Satan as he looked at each member of the council.

Those at the table all nodded in approval.


	2. Chapter 1

Since the prologue was lacking our central characters, I've decided to post this a little early for everyone. If there are any mistakes, please do tell me so that I can fix it. Thank you for taking your time on reading. ^_^

Again, many thanks to my beloved betareader Calipsancat for being patient with me and helping me with this fic!

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><p><em>Chapter 1<em>

With a quick flick of his hand, Earl Ciel Phantomhive quickly flipped the page of the book resting on his lap. Having finished most of his duties as an Earl as wells as attending to his business, he was left with nothing to do. The life of the luxurious was not always one of excitement. Day after day, his duties as a noblesse kept him busy, to which he was always thankful. But, there were those rare moments in his busy life when he was left with absolutely nothing to do. No business meetings with associates, no documents in need of signing, and no duty to fulfill for the Queen. He was alone in his office surrounded by the quiet of the moment. It left him absolutely restless. Growling, he stood up and marched towards his study. If there was nothing for him to do, he simply needed to try finding something to occupy his time and mind.

Upon reaching his study, the nobleman shuffled towards the shelves. He passed by many books, most of which he had already read when he was younger. He ran his fingers through the spines of the books, both new and old, and paused when he found one particularly ancient looking book. Its cover was singed and a little black. It was one of the few fortunate books to survive from the fire from 6 years ago. Ciel ran his fingers on the spine of the book and whispered the title.

"_Inferno._"

Something drew the young man to the book so he pulled it from the shelf and settled himself into the corner of his study in order to begin reading. Opening the book, he grew completely immersed in the story. His single lapis eye quickly darted left and right, skimming down the lines of the page. So absorbed was he in the story that he had not realized that it was time for his afternoon tea. Ciel heard the sound of someone knocking on the door, mostly for propriety's sake, and then heard someone enter.

"Good afternoon," a low and smooth voice greeted him which Ciel ignored completely in order to continue his reading.

"I see that the master has taken an interest in Mr. Dante Alighieri's _Comedìa_," said the smooth voice, a hint of amusement in its tone. The jingling of china against china was heard and then tea being poured.

Without taking his eye from the page he was on, Ciel Phantomhive replied dully, "There was nothing of interest and this book caught my attention."

"_Inferno,_" Sebastian Michaelis, the butler of the Phantomhive manor, read aloud as he served today's Darjeeling tea to his lord. "The Italian for _hell_," he continued as he placed the plate of scones on the table. Today, Sebastian served lavender scones to accompany the tea.

Silence settled almost ominously between the two of them and Ciel found himself unable to concentrate on the line he was currently on. He tried in vain to read and reread the liness, but finding that the words on the page did not register, he quickly slammed the book in frustration. The sound of the snap giving the young lord some gratification, and he leaned back onto the couch. Now that his focus and attention was taken away from the book, he turned towards the only other being in the room.

"Tell me, Sebastian… What is hell like?" he asked, turning his eyes to his butler.

Said being stood dutifully next to the teacart. His demeanor was proper and his back straight. The calm look on his face was deceptive as his eyes that were of the colour carnelian glinting in amusement.

Those full lips curled into a smirk "Oh? Why the sudden interest in my origins?" the butler asked.

One deep blue eye stared at brown eyes which glinted rather mischievously. Feeling as if those eyes were looking into his very being, the noble averted his gaze away and looked out into the sky from his window. "No particular reason," he began nonchalantly and shrugged. "It suddenly occurred to me that I know nothing of the daemon that I am contracted to," he said, feigning boredom.

The daemon chuckled in response. "Well, I see no point in hiding my-"he paused, thinking of the term. "-birthplace… What does my lord wish to know?"

The young man crossed his legs and took one of the delicious scones to eat. "Is it any like the descriptions those priests preach? Is it eternal flames that burn forth from the very bottoms of an abyss? Are there souls scattered everywhere, rotting and being scorched by unholy flames?" he asked all at once before biting down on to the treat. Again, Sebastian's sweets were perfect.

The daemon chuckled at the question but politely replied. "My, if that were really the case, hell would be quite uninhabitable, even for my kind. That description is merely an exaggeration created by mortals in order instil fear amongst the humans."

The earl raised a brow and huffed, "Then what is it like? The place of your birth."

Sebastian looked thoughtful for a moment, with him placing his index finger beneath his chin. "It is… difficult to describe exactly. But I can give my lord a simple explanation of how it would look like," proposed the daemon.

Ciel gave Sebastian an expectant look. "Go on then," he urged, gesturing with his hand. The young man forgot to hide his eagerness and stared intently at the being with a curious eye.

The daemon dressed in black sighed, "Very well," he began to walk towards the cart and tidied up a little, "One can say that the person who might have grasped the idea of what hell would be like is Mr. Alighieri," he said, the tinkling of expensive china accompanying and contrasting with his silky voice.

The young man blinked, "The author of the _Comedia_?" he asked a little surprised.

"Yes," the butler confirmed. "Though he may have grasped the general idea of how hell is, the physical appearance of the actual hell greatly differs from the book," explained the daemon without looking at his master.

"Well, of course it wouldn't be the exact description of the physical form of hell," said the earl as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The _Comedia_ is, after all, an allegory and thus makes use of symbols for the telling of the story," the nobleman continued as he leaned back on his chair.

"Ah, but my lord would be quite surprised with the similarities between the _Inferno_ and of the hell from where I originated."

"What are these similarities you speak of then?" he asked as he took his tea and sipped.

"Well, to start, in the _Inferno_ there are what Mr. Alighieri calls, the circles of hell. Now each circle would descend deeper and deeper according to the weight of the sin committed and the severity of the punishment."

The daemon paused and took a moment to look at his lord who was regarding him with interest. His deep blue eye stared at Sebastian rather intently. The butler continued on with his explanation. "But that is where the similarity ends, I'm afraid."

"Oh? Then what are they_?" _the nobleman asked, his curiosity growing.

"Unlike the _Inferno_, my kind would refer to the levels of hell as… kingdom?"

"Kingdom?" Ciel repeated, looking at Sebastian with slight scepticism.

Sebastian smiled and nodded, "Yes, you can call those levels that. Kingdoms."

"Wait, you said Kingdoms. Do you mean that there are several hells?" the young man asked, shock evident in his eyes. This was quite unusual, for the clergymen would often speak of hell as being one place where all tainted souls would belong.

"One can say that. But rather than saying several hells, there are several kingdoms that represent but one part of hell," said the butler.

"Then tell me, Sebastian," Ciel paused to take one final sip of his afternoon tea. "How many kingdoms are there?"

Sebastian waited patiently for the nobleman to finish his tea before answering, "There are seven, my lord."

Ciel stared at his daemon wide-eyed with disbelief. "That many?"

Sebastian suppressed a chuckle at his master's surprised outburst, "Yes, there are that many," replied the butler.

The noble looked at Sebastian seriously, "Do these kingdoms have names?" he asked.

"Yes, they do. Would you like to know them?"

Ciel smirked, "I wouldn't have asked you otherwise."

Sebastian chuckled at the response, "The names of the kingdoms are _Desidiousus, Cupiditas, Voro, Avaritia, Invidia, Superbia and Ira_. And each of these kingdoms represents what the humans call "The Cardinal Sins"."

Ciel looked thoughtful when the names were said. "You came straight from hell, right?" he asked suddenly.

The man with carnelian eyes nodded in affirmation and Ciel looked at him expectantly. When it seemed that the daemon would not speak of his origins, did Ciel spoke.

"Well? Are you not going to tell me which of the kingdoms you've come from?" the slate-haired man asked his butler looking irate.

The daemon seemed to ponder for a moment as Ciel anticipated impatiently for the answer. The daemon looked to his master and opened his mouth to answer when suddenly a loud boom was heard and the entire study shook. The butler turned his head towards the door and sighed before turning his gaze towards the young man on the chair.

"I am sorry, my Lord," apologized the butler. "But I believe that if I do not attend to whatever and wherever the noise is, the entire manor might end up in flames once again."

The young nobleman looked irked at first but sighed and waved his hand in order for the butler to attend to the mess that was no doubt created by his clumsy servants. The butler bowed slightly and after cleaning the dishes and trays he left in order to clean up the mess that was surely going to be great. The slate-haired man then turned his eyes outside his large windows and wondered about the world where his daemon had come from. The thought of seven hells was shocking to the man for since he was young he had always thought that hell was but one place where all sinful souls would end up. He shuddered at the possible tortures within that world but was comforted of the thought that his soul, though sinful and very tainted, would not enter there.

His soul would belong to his daemon, disguised as a butler. Though the thought was strange, it brought forth a relief within the young Lord. What awaited him was not eternal damnation but the satisfaction that his revenge has come to completion and then only a moment's pain. And after all of that, darkness will surely surround him. It was neither peace that heaven offered nor was it the tortures that hell provided. His end would be nothingness and it was that thought soothed the earl's heart.

_Hell_

Whispered this darkness within his very core, and it startled the Earl. _That_ word haunted Ciel. He didn't understand but the thought would not go away. The young man thought that he had no such interest in such a topic; it made him a little uncomfortable talking about such a thing, as do most people within their society. For after all, no one wishes to utter what could be the worst sort of punishment of their very souls. Though, it was not fear that made him feel as if hell was an unspeakable topic. Was it because it was an unknown thing that made him unable to speak of it?

Closing his eyes, Ciel sighed through his nose and opened the hard bound book on his lap once more. He turned a few pages and looked for the words that struck him the most.

"_Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrat."_

The sound of a knock startled the nobleman but he quickly composed himself. He bid the person who knocked to enter and was surprised to find Sebastian once again.

"My Lord," he greeted and then entered into the room with a single letter on his hand, "Her Majesty beckons you."


	3. Chapter 2

_Phew! Took a while for me to make this but it's finally finished. Once again, I'd like to thank everyone for their watches and kind reviews for this humble offering of mine. Also, much thanks to my darling betareader Calipsancat who is ever patient and ever supportive. Without her, this fic might not be as good. Hahaha! Also, please do read her GrellxWill fanfic, the latest chapter is *fans self* hot!_

_Thank you so much for taking the time to read this fic! Now, onto the fic! ^_^_

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><p>"I'll do it slowly, My Lord," assured the butler, Sebastian Michaelis in a low voice. He ran his gloved hand starting from pale shoulders down to the expanse of his master's back in order to soothe him. The noble quivered slightly from the touch of that gloved hand. He could feel the warmth that permeated from the gloved hand on his naked back. Ciel bit his lips and then sighed through his nose.<p>

Ciel Phantomhive was facing the wall of his own bedroom with his hands against the wall. His fists had turned whitefrom clenching too hard. The noble could already feel how cold his own hands were; whether from fisting his hands or from nervousness, he did not know. Ciel could already taste blood in his mouth from biting his lips too hard but he forced himself to speak. "Don't," he spat out and licked his lips. "I… am not something so fragile that I would breakso easily from a little pain."

The slate-haired man breathed in deeply. "You can do it harder," he said more resolutely. Ciel could hear the butler chuckling from behind him.

"If My Lord insists," the butler whispered huskily. "Brace yourself." The younger male heard some slight shuffling before pain shot out throughout his body. Ciel involuntarily choked and writhed beneath his butler.

The pain he felt coursing through his entire person was familiar; nevertheless it was something that he probably could never get used to. "_Aaah….. Ngggh…!"_Ciel cried out, he clawed the expensive wallpaper of his room in desperation. A thin sheen of sweat already started covering his skin and his breathing began to sound like pained wheezing.

"Is My Lord okay?" cooed the gentle tone his butler used seemed to mock Ciel. The young man gritted his teeth with a mix of pain and irritation. The noble clicked his tongue in annoyance and took a shaky breath.

"_C..c-continue…" _Ciel had somehow managed to choke out and then took another shallow breath.

Sebastian leaned forward and whispered against the shell of the younger male's ears. "Relax and breathe in slowly. I will make this as painless as possible," the daemon promised in a voice that was like velvet. His warm breath tickled Ciel's ear and he suppressed a shiver that threatened to course through his entire person.

The butler pulled back, "I will move now," he warned.

Ciel jerked his head to the side once Sebastian began to move. Though the younger male anticipated the pain, it was simply too much for him. The tightness was excruciating, he felt as if all the weight in the world was slowly crushing him. The room seemed so unbearably hot and Ciel felt his head began to spin. The noble didn't even notice himself groan through the haze of lightheadedness and he wheezed in an attempt to breathe. He had become a little teary-eyed but refused to let the tears fall out as discomfort and dizziness. He writhed from underneath Sebastian and cried out again.

"_Ooh…. Aaah! Nggh!"_He whimpered with each move his butler made. Sweat was dripping down his entire body and Ciel blinked in an attempt to make the dizziness disappear. It was unbearable and yet he persisted. As his butler continued to move, Ciel refused to give the being behind him the satisfaction of his tears dripping down. He bit his lip in an attempt to silence himself, not wishing to show a sign of weakness to the daemon. The hot coil inside him threatened to burst from him.

"Al… most…" Sebastian grunted. With one final and powerful jerk, Ciel cried out as Sebastian noble was a panting mess as he struggled to hold himself up against the wall of his room. Ciel tried to focus his vision. Everything seemed to blend and fade into black and what was in front of him. Distantly, the noble heard clothes shuffling and then the heat of his daemon butler leave from behind him.

"You look quite stunning, My Lord…"said his butler, sounding rather pleased. Ciel could hear that typical smirk in the daemon's voice "Or should I say-My Lady."

The young noble pushed himself from the wall and whirled around to glare at the man with carnelian eyes. "Don'tyou …"_pant…"_dare"… _pant…_"mock me," panted Ciel, though his voice didn't sound a bit threatening.

"I assure you, I am not," smiled the butler, though the noble could practically feel the deception behind the words and smile. Ciel couldn't find itin himself to believe in that smile and growled in response. He turned quickly and marched towards the full-length mirror he had ordered to be placed in the room for the time being. He stopped just by the mirror and was struck speechless.

The person he saw in his mirror made him person reflected in the mirror looked like a young girl not past the age of eighteen, untainted with her alabaster skin giving her the image of purity. Her slate hair was done in a tight bun but some of her long wavy hair cascaded down to her pale shoulders. The royal blue dress she wore contrasted her milky skin which made her seem even paler; yet, the richness of the deep blue color complimented her single lapis lazuli eye. She looked absolutely gorgeous and Ciel couldn't help but glare at her.

"I…" Ciel began uncertainly, "-do not look like myself." His brows furrowed, perplexed at the sight before him.

His butler slowly crossed the room towards the young man. "Is that not the point?" He asked his voice even and calm. It was as if he trying to deceive the younger male.

"Yes… but isn't this degrading?" Ciel asked as he whipped his head to face his butler.

The daemon looked at the young man with calm eyes and took the hand of the noble gently. "What do you want me to say? Do you wish for me to agree with you? Do you want to hear from me that My Lord is dressed so shamelessly all for an aging woman who does nothing but gives him orders?" He asked, his tone as if he were chiding Cie. From his pocket, he took out long silky white gloves and slipped one of them onto Ciel's hand.

"That is not what I mean!" Ciel barked and attempted to pull his hand away but the butler kept the butler kept his grip firm on the noble's hand and forced Ciel to look into his carnelian eyes.

"My answer is irrelevant," Sebastian stated while mismatched eyes glared at him. "My Lord is My Lord whether he is in a dress or not, whether he has lost his title or not," Sebastian's turned his eyes to look at Ciel with a serious face. "-whether he is tainted or not," he whispered so softly that Ciel could barely hear the daemon.

Ciel stared at Sebastian with questioning eyes but was struck speechless. Now that he had stopped struggling, the butler resumed pulling the silken glove up to his lord's arm. "As long as My Lord will keep his pride, I will serve him and I will always be by his side," he continued and slipped on the other glove for Ciel. The young man remained quiet but looked at his butler with questioning and uncertain eyes.

Sebastian pulled back and bowed, "I shall prepare the carriage. If you will excuse me." The man clad in black left the noble alone in the room. Ciel was met with silence once the door closed and felt unease settle within him. The young Phantomhive turned away from where his butler last stood and tried to shake off the feeling of disquiet. He stared back into his own reflection and saw the girl in front of him wear an expression of worry.

"What is this feeling?" He whispered and sighed.

Ciel was later called out by Sebastian and was not at all surprised that he had changed into something other than his usual black swallow tailcoat. No doubt it was his own disguise in order to act as Ciel's escort for the night. Sebastian traded in his usual black tailcoat a gray frock coat and, checkered vest, white undershirt and a black cravat; the typical outfit for a gentleman who would attend a social party. He also had his hair brushed back and wore his tutoring spectacles.

The young lord remained silent as he was helped into the coach and waited for Sebastian to enter and sit opposite him. As soon as Sebastian closed the coach doors they departed. It would take them about two hours to travel to London in order to fetch Elizabeth from her townhouse there and then about half hours' time to reach the venue for the dance party the Viscount had organized. It would give the two of them enough time to discuss the infiltration.

Ciel looked outside the window of the coach, "Tell me the details of our plan again, Sebastian."

"Her Majesty is worried that the Viscount is once again up to his old antics and is taking away young women and selling them off for prostitution. We will meet with Lady Elizabeth who has received one of his invitations and you will act as if you are Lady Elizabeth's cousin fromFrance."

The disguised young man looked at the butler, confused. "France?"

"Well, My Lord, it has been a while since you have disguised as a young woman. You are a lot older now than before and so it would be quite impossible for you to blend in as a young woman now that your voice has deepened. They will become suspicious if you were to speak. Thus, I believe the best way for my Lord to blend is to not ever speak."

Ciel looked at Sebastian incredulously, "How do you expect me to find out information from the Viscount if I cannot speak?"

The butler suddenly leaned towards the young man who squawked a little in surprise. Their faces were mere inches apart and Ciel was forced to look into his butler's carnelian eyes. Ah, he could scarcely feel the warmth that emanated from the daemon's body. The familiar smell of tea and cinnamon tickled Ciel's nose which surprisingly calmed him.

"Your eyes," the butler started as he looked at Ciel with serious eyes.

Ciel's stared into his butler's unreadable eyes and looked perplexed. "My eyes?" he said uncertainly and waited for Sebastian to continue.

"The eyes are the windows to one's soul, or so I've heard from your kind." The butler whispered before pulling away from Ciel taking the warmth and scent with him. "But nonetheless, the expression in one's eyes is one of the most effective ways one can communicate to another person without the use of words," the butler continued.

The nobleman raised a brow, "You think that I can attract the Viscount with only my you remember that I cannot show my other eye to another aside from you." Ciel pointed to his right eye, "How will I catch his interest with only one eye?" He asked, his tone incredulous.

Sebastian closed his eyes and chuckled. At that moment, Sebastian looked serene as if he had been sleeping. "Ah, but My Lord forgets. The deepness of his Lapis eye is quite lovely. Surely, men will become taken by their profound colour," The daemon commented as if he said the most natural thing in the world.

Ciel was struck silent upon hearing the compliment from the butler sitting across from him. Not knowing how to react to the almost sincere praise, Ciel coughed into his hand to hide his embarrassment. He glanced at his butler who wore his deceptively honest smile and then quickly looked outside the window of as if something caught his attention.

"Does Lizzy know what we will be doing?" he asked, trying to fill in the awkward silence between them.

The butler's reply wasn't immediate. "I've already sent Lady Elizabeth a letter and I've informed her that you'll be doing your duty as Earl Phantomhive during the party. I think she will act accordingly."

The young man nodded silently and continued to gaze outside the windows. The ride continued on with the both of them silent. It was not that Ciel was unable to talk but it was that he was unable to breathe properly. Though, he would never admit that to the butler. Soon, they arrived in front of the Midford family's London townhouse in order to fetch the young Elizabeth Midford. Dressed modestly and fashionably for the occasion, she had grown into a stunning young woman. Long blonde locks that curled to her back and sparkling green eyes, she looked much like her mother in her prime, but possessed an almost innocent demureness in the way she moved. For tonight's event, she wore a rich green dress which matched her eyes perfectly. She was raised well and Ciel could not help but be proud with how his once noisy and childish cousin turned into a fine young noblewoman.

Though in a dress, Ciel took her by the hand and escorted her into the carriage like any gentleman would. And after they had seated themselves in the carriage they immediately discussed what was to happen during the social event. They briefed Elizabeth with the story that they were going to tell in order not to let their real identities be discovered during the party.

The three of them soon reached the venue. The Viscount held the party at the same place that Ciel was first captured all those years ago. Ciel wondered if the man was either being an idiot for choosing the same scene of the crime or if he had never learned his lesson. Either way, the advantage was Sebastian and his for they knew the interior of the building quite well if nothing had changed over the few years. If nothing had changed, then Ciel would possibly slap himself in disbelief at the mere stupidity of the Viscount. They were dropped off at the entrance and were escorted inside. Unexpectedly and quite fortunately, the Viscount was the first to welcome the three of them. Nothing had changed about the man since Ciel last saw him; wavy blonde locks, shining blue eyes and a white ensemble. And he was still very much overbearing.

"Ah, such lovely ladies we have here!" exclaimed the golden haired man and as he gestured at the "women" within their group. He turned to Lizzy and gestured his hand dramatically. The young noblewoman politely smiled and placed her hand daintily onto his.

"It is such an honor to have you attend to my humble social gathering, Lady Midford," he said with a smile that Ciel could not believe in and then kissed Elizabeth's hand. Then the man turned to Ciel and smiled. "Now, who is this lovely little bird that you've brought with you Lady Midford?" he asked and gazed curiously at the young "woman".

"This is my cousin, Mademoiselle Desiree Moreau from France and this is Monsieur Ambroise Acel Corbet, her escort," Elizabeth introduced.

"A delight to make your acquaintance mademoiselle," said the Viscount with a smile.

Ciel tilted his head to the side and looked at the count curiously before turning to Sebastian. His daemon smiled and turned to talk to the blonde haired man. With a strong French accent that Ciel was surprised to hear Sebastian said, "I apologize, My Lady does not speak a word of English and is incredibly shy around new people."

The older nobleman looked taken aback and looked at Sebastian curiously before flashing a smile. "Oh! This little robin here has traveled so far and cannot fend for herself!" he exclaimed dramatically and suddenly took Ciel's hand. The disguised young man let out a squeak that thankfully sounded feminine.

"Ah! Such a charming melody she has sung! Won't you let me hear your voice?" he asked and then kissed Ciel's (thankfully) gloved hand. The slate haired young "lady" stopped himself from simply tearing his hand from the blonde male and just looked at him and then Sebastian uncertainly. It was a silent cry of help. The dark-haired male leaned in to listen to what Ciel was going to say.

"Will this idiot ever stop uttering nonsense?" he whispered to Sebastian's ear with gritted teeth. The butler cum tutor chuckled openly at what his master had said and pulled back. The Viscount looked curious and excited at what the robin had said.

"My Lady, Mademoiselle Moreau, is not so accustomed to the Viscount's forward behavior," he stated whilst looking at Ciel,"Perhaps if you let My Lady become acquainted to the party, she will be able to dance with Sir Viscount later."

The lord's blue eyes sparkled in excitement at the thought of dancing with the young lady, "Oh! I see! By all means! Such a gorgeous creature must be let out for others to gaze upon and admire of her beauty!" He exclaimed as his grip on Ciel's hand tightened a little, making him flinch at the strength. The blonde man suddenly leaned forward, his face so close to Ciel's that they could kiss. The slate-haired "female" suppressed the urge to pull his hand away and just stared at the noble's eyes.

The man's eyes lidded and he whispered to Ciel, "I look forward to our dance later, sweet Robin." He kissed Ciel's hand again and let then it go. "If you will excuse me, I shall attend to my other guests." Waving his hand again in a manner too dramatic, the man dressed in white quickly hurried off to attend to the other guests that had arrived.

Ciel turned to his butler, "I swear if we do not find anything worth Her Majesty's worry here, I will have that man dead," he seethed. "Having to spend time with that man and wearing this damned corset at the same time should produce results for this investigation!"

Sebastian simply smiled, "Shall we make our way to the dance hall? Perhaps we can find something as we look around."

"Yes, we might be able to find something suspicious and we can blend in well with the crowd if we dance," Elizabeth chimed in.

The three of them headed on to the lavishly built and decorated dance hall of the count's home. People of high class were scattered everywhere within the hall chattering and drinking wine. Women gossiped amongst themselves and men were drinking and talking about their businesses, all unaware of the possible evil deeds that the Viscount has hidden. It was a familiar scene for Ciel but despite its familiarity, he despised it.

"Ah! Lady Elizabeth!" boomed a loud voice.

The three in their group turned to look at a man with mousy brown hair. Ciel was sure that he had met him before but his name failed to come to mind. The man clumsily pushed past other socializing groups and came towards them. Upon reaching them, Ciel could make out the twinge of red that was present in his cheeks; the man clearly had had a bit of the drink. The man guffawed loudly, his round belly bouncing a little as he laughed and, then he greeted Ciel's fiancée.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Lady Elizabeth! Pray tell, where is that fiancé of yours? Is it not proper that he be the one to escort such a fine young woman as yourself to social parties such as this?" his voiced boomed.

The young woman giggled, "I see that you have been well Mr. Morris. Unfortunately, my fiancé is busy doing his duties for Her Majesty. The Queen takes precedence over all matters, after all." She turned to Ciel and Sebastian, "Fortunately, I am not alone. I would like to present to you, my cousin from France, Ms. Desiree. And this is Mr. Corbet."

Sebastian bowed towards the man and again in a strong French accent, introduced himself. "Ambroise Acel Corbet. A pleasure to meet you."

The brown haired male smiled slightly and also gave a bow, "Harvey Morris," he, in turn, introduced himself.

The darker haired male gestured towards Ciel and introduced him, "I would also like to present to you Mademoiselle Desiree Moreau from France."

Ciel curtsied for the man, with proper etiquette and Mr. Morris bowed."Such a pretty young lady! What do you think of London, Ms. Moreau?"

Ciel tilted his head to the side and pretended to look confused. His butler interrupted, "I'm quite sorry to say this but Mademoiselle Moreau cannot speak a word of English and she is, dare I say, quite shy."

Mr. Morris' eyes lit up in understanding, "Oh I see! It's a little unfortunate that she cannot understand what I'm saying," he said in a sympathetic tone. "But I do hope that the both of you have enjoyed London so far," the man turned to Sebastian.

"Oh yes, we've enjoyed our stay in London. There are many things to do here and Miss Elizabeth is a very brilliant hostess. She has shown us many wonderful shops for My Lady to browse and buy from," complimented the dark male with a small amicable silence settled amongst their group, though Ciel and Sebastian were quietly looking for anything suspicious within the dance hall.

Soft and gentle music began to fill the dancehall, the sound echoing slightly from the lavishly decorated walls. The chatter lowered and people started to walk towards the center of the hall to begin dancing with each other. The dancers swayed gracefully along with the music, almost filling the entire hall. Wallflowers scattered in the corners immersed themselves in their own conversations or waited for an invitation to dance.

"Oh!" uttered Mr. Morris as he looked at the couples moving elegantly across the floor. "My, I am not one who normally practices social dancing but I think it would be a bit wasteful if I do not take the opportunity to dance with such a lovely young lady," he said as he turned towards Elizabeth. "Would you give me the honor of this dance, Lady Elizabeth?" invited Mr. Morris as he held out his hand in offering.

The young blonde giggled coyly, "Well, seeing as my fiancé is absent, I'm sure that a little dancing would not hurt anyone." She placed her hand on his and they walked away towards where dancers were. Soon, the two of them blended together with the crowd of couples, no doubt swaying along as the beautiful music played. Sebastian and Ciel watched as his fiancée and the man disappear somewhere into the hall, leaving him with his butler.

"My Lord, I think it's best that we participate," whispered Sebastian.

"What?" half whispered and half shouted as he whipped his head to look at Sebastian in the eye.

"I believe I saw something suspicious over at the other side of the hall."

"How should we cross?" Ciel asked as he looked over the dancers.

"If it is not too forward of me," Sebastian started and lifted up his hand. "It would be my honor to have this dance with you, My Lord."


	4. Chapter 3

_Wow! It's almost 2012! It's almost surreal how the year just passed by! I've met a lot of wonderful new people this year, one of them being the ever wonderful Calipsancat! Thank you so much Calipsancat for being ever patient and supportive of me! Without you, I think this story might not be as good as it is! Go read her story now, she's a wonderful writer! Anyway, this is my year end gift for all of you darling readers! I hope you will enjoy this!_

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><p>"…What?" Of all the things that could have escaped his mouth, it was possibly the most idiotic one.<p>

"You heard me, My Lord." Sebastian stated simply. "Would you give me this dance?" said he as he gestured his hand in offering.

"Why do we need to dance?" Ciel asked indignantly.

"We need to cross the floor with as little suspicion as possible and I believe that participating in a little social dancing would not hurt anyone."

"You know as well as I that my dancing skills leave much to be desired,"Ciel retorted.

"Do not worry, My Lord. What would a Phantomhive butler be if he cannot do something as simple as to lead his master to where he needs to go as quickly and with the least suspicion?" said the daemon with a smile that Ciel couldn't read. The hand that the butler had offered was still raised in invitation; the noble, with an unsure glance, hesitantly placed his hand onto Sebastian's.

Gently, Sebastian pulled the both of them into the center of the hall and Ciel let the daemon take the lead. With the hand that Sebastian held, he placed it on his shoulders and he took Ciel's other hand and firmly grasped it while he placed his right hand on Ciel's corseted waist. The youth flinched at the touch and nervously licked his lips. They waited for the right cue and they began their slow waltz, though awkwardly, mostly due to Ciel. The nobleman stepped on Sebastian's feet a few times to which he reacted by grunting a little and his brow twitching in annoyance. The two of them moved clumsily across the dance floor which didn't go unnoticed by a few of the couples in the hall.

"My Lord, if you do not follow my lead, we will end up having the attention on us instead of blending in," whispered Sebastian as he dipped Ciel who almost fell.

"I know," seethed Ciel once he was back into their first position. Sebastian took one step forward and Ciel looked down and made one uncomfortable step back.

"Please don't let all those dance lessons I've taught you go to waste, My Lord," sighed Sebastian as Ciel had somehow stepped onto the butler's foot.

"Just give me a moment," Ciel grunted and took a deep breath.

"Just follow my lead. Do not fight me but move with me and I will take you to wherever you need to be," he whispered into Ciel's ear. The scent of tea and cinnamon filled his senses as Ciel took in another deep breathe. He let himself relax in Sebastian's arms, breathing in and taking in the scent, music and atmosphere around him.

"I'm ready," Ciel announced.

With one step taken back, Ciel allowed himself to be lead gently into the waltz by Sebastian. The butler took another step and Ciel let himself be lead to the next step; he was guided into the next step and Ciel let with as much grace as he could, turned. "Yes, like that My Lord," he whispered to the young noble with a small but satisfied smile. "Do not resist me but let me lead you." The two of them moved together slowly and elegantly along with the tempo of the music. They swayed along with the rest of the dancers in a graceful waltz; no longer were there stares from the crowd. They blended into the background of couples dancing effortlessly in the hall. As they danced together, their eyes were elsewhere, looking for any signs of any suspicious activities.

"My Lord, I believe that I see the Viscount enter somewhere near the draperies at the corner. It would seem that he is leading a group of people into another room," whispered Sebastian as he turned Ciel to where he had seen the man with golden hair. Even though the turn was quick, Ciel caught sight of a flash of white and gold enter into the large red curtains that hung at one part of the hall.

"Take me there, Sebastian," Ciel ordered. Sebastian pulled Ciel close after the turn, pressing both of their bodies close so close together that the noble could feel himself blushing from the contact. The warmth from the male could be felt and Ciel felt a bit scandalized at their position. "As My Lord wishes," whispered the butler with a smile. The two of them did a series of turns and dips, each step making Ciel feel a little light-headed and dizzy; from the proximity or from the barrage of senses from the heat and scent of his daemon, Ciel does not know. But the two of them quickly crossed the hall and inconspicuously moved to the side of the large curtain that hung over what appeared to be a large window. They reached the location where the group of people disappeared into and stood there for a moment.

"Is this where they disappeared to?" asked Ciel as he stared at the large drapes that towered the two of them.

"I am positive that this was where the Viscount and the group entered."

"… Alright, let us first sneak in and see if anything unusual happens."

Without attracting any attention, they sneaked into the draperies and were taken into the hidden part of the hall. The place seemed unfamiliar so the Viscount must have had this part of the house built recently. When they entered through the curtains, it revealed a long hallway; lavishly decorated by paintings of gorgeous women and beautiful men in provocative positions that hung on the gold and black coloured wallpapers. Small chandeliers hung the ceiling, offering some light to whoever will enter the hall. Ciel and Sebastian looked at each other before walking silently. They travelled deeper into the hall, careful with each step they took in order not be discovered. Upon reaching a turn, they heard sound of chattering. Ciel pressed himself and Sebastian onto the wall and listened closely to the conversation going on.

"Oh, dear me! Such an exquisite creature you are! Why have I not noticed you before?" Ciel heard the man exclaim.

"You flatter me sir," Ciel heard a voice that was neither too high nor too low reply. "It is my first time visiting a charming place such as London," the voice, like sweet velvet, continued.

"Sebastian, can you identify whoever the Viscount is chatting with?"

"Certainly," replied the butler and moved past Ciel in order to glance at the conversing people.

When Sebastian was in place and he raised his eyes to see whoever was talking with the Viscount, he froze. Ciel, noticing Sebastian's reaction, could not help but turn to look at whoever the golden haired man was chatting to. He turned his eyes and first saw the group of two men, one being the Viscount, and then shorter figures which Ciel figured were women. When he turned his eyes to look at whoever the Viscount was looking at, the youth was struck silent.

The figure stood closely to Viscount, draped over the man's arm. No doubt the noble was charmed by the beauty of the person with the way his eyes lidded as he gazed on her. She wore an unfamiliar garment but from what Ciel could tell, the article of clothing was made out of expensive silk. The patterns of the garment were extravagant and detailed and the clothing seemed loosely tied, revealing milky white shoulders. Her straight black hair was let loose and it cascaded and ended over her shoulders, sharply contrasting her paleness. She had high cheekbones and her lips were full and pink. Her eyes fluttered and she smiled coyly to the Viscount who seemed even more charmed. Then her eyes turned towards where Ciel and Sebastian hid.

"Oh my, it seems we have guests," the exquisite beauty remarked. Ciel and Sebastian were caught off-guard and quickly hid behind the corner, cursing at their single act of foolishness.

"Show yourselves!" they heard the Viscount bark. "I will have you arrested for trespassing this area!" threatened the man. Ciel gritted his teeth and started to think of ways in order to escape their situation.

"Now, now," they heard the lady start. "No need to be so violent. They are, after all, guests."

"Of course! Anything for you, lovely one," the Viscount said. "You heard her. Reveal yourselves at once!"

Ciel cursed under his breath, "What do we do, Sebastian?" he asked, turning his eyes to the butler.

"I believe it is pointless if we continue to hide. I think it would be best if we reveal ourselves, perhaps we can talk ourselves out of this situation?"

Ciel clicked his tongue in irritation, "If someone was not so distracted, we still might have remained hidden and our true identities might not be in danger," seethed Ciel but nonetheless started to walk towards the group of people in the hallway. Sebastian followed him closely behind.

"Ah! It seems to be the guests from France!" remarked the Viscount in surprise.

"From France you say?" chimed the beautiful woman with a smirk. Ciel did not notice before, but the woman had a little of an accent that he could not identify.

Sebastian and Ciel soon reached the other group, "We apologize for disrupting," began Sebastian with a strong French accent, "Mademoiselle and I, we were looking for a place where we could quietly spend our time together."

"Oh? It seems that I was mistaken then!" laughed the man with golden hair. "What I first thought was a robin was actually a falcon!"

"Do introduce me to these two. I would like to make their acquaintance," urged the woman as she tugged at the Viscount's arm. She looked into the Viscount's eyes enticingly. Upon closer inspection, the foreign woman had smoky dark brown eyes that were Oriental. She looked at Ciel from head to toe and smirked. The way her eyes seemed to both dance in amusement and the way it seemed to mock him made Ciel grown under his breath, an unpleasant feeling forming within his core.

"Yes, my beautiful raven," lowly whispered the golden haired man with lidded eyes as traced the woman's lips with his finger. "This is Mademoiselle Desiree Moreau and her escort Monsieur Ambroise Acel Corbet from France," he said as he gestured to the both of them.

"And this," the Viscount gestured to the Oriental lady, "is Miss Asmodeus."

Sebastian held out his hand and the woman called Asmodeus smiled as she placed her hands delicately on Sebastian's palm. Slowly, the dark haired male kissed her gloveless hands and then released. "A delight to meet you," Sebastian said lowly.

"The pleasure is all mine," she replied smile that seemed to hide a secret. "These are my dear friends," Asmodeus turned to the two other people within her group. "This is Miss Sytry and this is Mister Zepar." The man and woman, despite not being as stunning as Asmodeus, were very much attractive. The two bowed and curtsied after the introduction but remained silent.

"Viscount Druitt," Asmodeus suddenly called and then pressed herself much too close to the said man.

"Yes, my dark raven?" replied.

"As delightful as these introductions are, I believe that it is not time to become better acquainted with these pleasant people," she whispered seductively as she ran her hand down the man's arm. The Viscount visibly shivered at the contact to which Ciel could not help but cringe at the vulgarity of their ways.

"Shall we make our way to the quarters then?" invited the Viscount in a low voice.

"We shall," replied the woman playfully. "But first, I would very much like to _talk_ to Monsieur Corbet." She looked at Sebastian, "There are some _things _I would like to discuss with him."

The young nobleman felt something from deep within him, a feeling most unpleasant that it made him sick to the very core. Ciel looked at Sebastian who remained uncharacteristically solemn and even a little tense.

"Very well," replied Sebastian to which Ciel was very surprised to hear. He was about to say something but caught himself in time, remembering that they were still playing the roles that they had planned earlier for the investigations.

"But, my sweet raven," almost shouted the Viscount, his voice seemed to be a mix of jealous rage and hysteria. "Was I not the one who you offered to spend time with?"

The woman effectively silenced the man with one look of passion, "Hush," she whispered. "We shall spend time with each other, becoming _acquainted_ with ourselves," Ceil felt disgust with how those seemingly innocent words were laced with something else. "But I must speak with a matter only Monsieur Corbet and I can relate to."

"And what would that be?" calmly asked the Viscount.

Asmodeus' laughter rang pleasantly in the entire room, a melody quite similar to silver bells chiming sweetly at night. "Why, Paris, of course! I do wish to visit such a wonderful country and I think Monsieur Corbet knows his way around France!"

The Viscount joined in the laughter, "Silly me! You're quite right!" He turned to Sebastian," Do you wish to talk privately then?"

"If you do not mind," replied the butler. Ciel snapped his head up in surprise.

"_What is he thinking?_" thought the young man as he glanced at the woman before him. Ciel tugged at Sebastian's arm in order to get his attention.

The butler looked at Ciel and cupped the young man's face, "Do not worry," Sebastian whispered to him as he caressed his cheek with his thumb as if trying to reassure the youth. The dark haired male turned to look at Asmodeus, "Where shall we speak in private?"

"Come, let us go to the rooms. They are found deeper into the halls," the Viscount said as he led their group.

They walked past various other doors and provocative paintings to which Ciel awkwardly avoided looking at. Their group was silent as they travelled lower, turning each corner to reveal a new part of the hallway.

"Here we are!" sing-sang the Viscount as he turned to those behind him. He excitedly took a key from his coat pocket and placed it in the knob. With a quick flick, the door was open to reveal a well-decorated room and a four-poster bed. Nothing of particular interest was in the room though extravagantly decorated.

"Then, I shall part with you here, Sir Viscount. We shall _talk_ later," purred Asmodeus as she gave the Viscount one searing gaze and then walked into the room.

Sebastian was also about to enter until Ciel tugged at his arm. The butler was momentarily startled and he turned to stare at Ciel with a slightly perplexed expression. The noble in disguise could not say anything in fear of his identity being discovered but he hoped that the daemon could understand what he was trying to convey through his single eye.

"_S'il vous plaît__attendez-moi__, Mademoiselle__. __Je vais__revenir vers vous_," promised the butler as he looked meaningfully into Ciel's eyes. With those words, Sebastian entered into the room with Asmodeus and closed the door, leaving the rest of the group in the hallway. That dreadful and sick feeling that Ciel felt moments ago seemed to spread throughout Ciel's entire body.

"Now that they've settled in, why don't we make ourselves comfortable in other rooms," offered the Viscount with a bright smile, gesturing with his hand dramatically at the same time.

"We would like to take the next room," the gruff looking man called Zepar said.

"Are you sure? Why not take other rooms? I'm sure that there are accommodations that suit your taste-"

"No need," cut the woman named Sytry. "We wish to take the room closest to Asmodeus."

The Viscount laughed awkwardly, "Quite right. Here is the key to the next room then. Please, do enjoy yourselves," he said and handed to Zepar the key who took it without hesitation and went to the next room with Sytry following him from behind. Ciel was left in the company of the Viscount.

"Now that we are alone, why don't we acquaint ourselves better, Mademoiselle Desiree?" invited the Viscount as he held Ciel's gloved hand.

'_That idiot better not do anything foolish,'_ thought Ciel as he was led by the golden haired noble. The two of them entered another extravagantly decorated room, he looked around and check for any escape routes. The young noble suddenly felt two hands on his shoulders.

"Now that we are alone," whispered the Viscount, "I think that we should also _acquaint_ ourselves as we wait for the others."

Ciel felt himself shudder in fear with the way those two hands seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders. The noble quickly pulled away and ran towards the corner of the room.

"And she shies away from my touch," sang the golden haired male as he slowly walked towards Ciel. "Do not fear me, dear Robin, for I only wish to admire your beauty."

Ciel took the nearest painting from the wall and threw it at the Viscount. He quickly dodged the object and lunged towards Ciel. He grabbed the youth by the wrists and pinned him on the wall using the taller male's body. An angry lapis eye glared at the Viscount defiantly. The golden haired man's eyes were filled with mirth when Ciel started to struggle in order to be free from the man's strong grip.

"Won't you let me hear your delightful cries?" whispered the man hotly against Ciel's ears. The youth shuddered in fear and tried fighting the man's strength. Ciel seethed in frustration at the difference in strength even though he had grown and was no longer as helpless when he was younger. The Viscount breathed in Ciel's scent and let out a shaky breath before he started licking the pale neck.

Ciel forced himself to summon the strength to struggle from the man's hold. The man continued to suckle Ciel's nubile neck; somehow, the youth managed to set his hand free and with all his might pushed the taller male. The man tumbled on his back and Ciel took his chance to the bed and grabbed the lamp that was on top of the nightstand. Again, Ciel threw the item at the man and this time it successfully landed on his head. The man grunted in pain but was still very much conscious. His blue eyes looked angry and he lunged again towards Ciel. Ciel dodged and ran on top of the bed towards the other corner; he took the other lamp that was on the other side of the bed and threw it again at the Viscount who, although ducked, still got hit by the lamp. Ciel squeaked and ran towards the door and desperately tried to open it.

"Trying to escape, aren't we?" mocked the Viscount. Ciel turned to scowl at the man. Adding to his mockery, the golden haired man dangled the ring of keys in his hand. Ciel growled and turned his back from the door but he placed his hands behind him.

"Let me adore you, sweet Robin," the man said in a pleading tone that was mixed with a bit of insanity. Ciel continued to openly glare at the man and squeaked when the man lunged at him again and this time, effectively trapping Ciel. The Viscount's mouth latched itself onto Ciel's nubile neck, nipping and biting the skin. Ciel placed his hands on the man's chest and tried to push him away but the man was firm. The Viscount's hands started to roam Ciel's body; Ciel, desperate for release looked everywhere frantically for anything to use against the taller male. To his side, he found a heavy-looking candelabrum. Willing himself, he grabbed for the object and with all of his strength hit the man with the candelabra.

The item effectively knocked out the man and he lay on the floor, moaning. Ciel wasted no time in grabbing the ring of keys and opened the door for freedom. He quickly closed the door and locked it from the outside, effectively trapping the Viscount in the room. Once Ciel heard the door click, he fell to the ground and actually felt his knees shaking. Normally, the young Lord did not feel this way. Ciel would not worry much about his well-being for he was always confident that his butler would come to his rescue, as always. But he could not call the daemon in fear of his true identity being found out and somehow, the being did not seem to be himself ever since they met Asmodeus. Calming himself enough to stand, Ciel walked with wobbly feet towards the room where he last parted with Sebastian. When he arrived by the door, Ciel had planned on using the key to open the door. He stopped himself when he heard a conversation being held inside. Ciel place his ear on the door and tried to catch what the two were saying.

"…_va… under… decreased… Lord..-er…wishes….-turn..." _the voice that belonged to Asmodeus said.

"_So… -tat… begin… when… plan…." _Ciel heard Sebastian reply.

"_In a month…" _

"…_do not…. Covenant…" _

"_You need to leave him…-al… I expect to you to return," _were the last words that Ciel heard before he heard Asmodeus moan out loud and the creaking of the bed began. For some reason, that sick feeling that coursed throughout Ciel's body just stopped and all he could feel was nothing. The noises inside grew erratic and a scream of ecstasy from Asmodeus were heard.

Ciel felt absolutely numb as he stared at the door in front of him.


End file.
